Question re Austin Roses in Ontario

Susanne27(5a Ontario Canada)February 20, 2014

Is there a good source in Canada for Austin roses that are on rootstock for this area or should I be looking for own root plants? I hesitate to order directly from Austin because they are in Texas and the plants may not be suitable for my are which is central Ontario near the Great Lakes.

I remember Pickering (on multiflora rootstock) carries some Austin's, but I don't think you will get a very full selection.

You might check Palatine (also on multiflora) to see if they offer a few Austins.

I've ordered from both Canadian nurseries and think they are both great.

Hortico probably carries some also, but a lot of posters on this forum have had some complaints at times about Hortico--so buyer beware.

I suspect David Austin in Texas gives you the widest choice of Austins. Those would be on Dr. Huey rootstock. Austin's catalog says they are mostly hardy to Zone 5, so Austin must be assuming his roses are being sold in Zone 5. I really don't think you will have problems with the roses directly from Austin's in Texas.

Thank you Elaine and Kate. I worried that maybe the Dr. Huey rootstock wouldn't be good in my area - slightly acidic soil and others have mentioned that own root take a long time to grow and are not as vigorous.

All of my David Austins are on Dr Huey and despite being Texas "natives", they thrive here. My soil is slightly acidic. In general, I have not noticed a difference between multiflora and Dr Huey rootstock. Both are fine for me. Bare roots are slow to establish (in my garden).

Pickering has a reasonable selection but many are sold out. I didn't see any sold by Palatine.

Pickering is the best source remaining here in Canada for Austin's reliably grafted on multiflora. Unfortunately, they have been scaling back their selection for many years now and have not carried any newer DA varities from about 2009 to present.

Personally, I would generally give Hortico a miss as they are terribly unreliable and also procure a large portion of their varieties from other growers (mainly in the U.S.), so it is not uncommon to see them ship plants on Dr. Huey understock, despite what they may claim to the contrary. Huey does not thrive in the majority of Ontario soils and in general, the Huey understock is not well suited to our climate. They will usually begin to noticeably decline after 2-3 years. Around the same time that most roses are just coming into their own.

You can order some DA varieties on own-root direct from DA of course, provided you are willing to pay the borderline criminal prices they charge for bare-root roses and shipping.

Vigorous varieties of own-root roses actually do pretty well here in Ontario, but do take a little longer to establish.